Olivia and Lily LightAide - Day 1

Lily has arrived safely on Olivia's doorstep a few days ago.  Her journey to this small rural town holds high hopes.   

Surprise #1

Getting started only took a few short minutes.  It's simple, easy and ready to roll.   

Surprise #2

I admit that I greatly underestimated what the LightAide has to offer.  I had preconceived notions that Lily would show Olivia colors, shapes, numbers, and letters…but there is so much more than meets the eye (no pun intended).  I was aware that Lily uses light to engage the learner, but I was taken back by the vibrant hues of colors displayed by the LED lights.  I was also surprised by the preset activities that were developed to teach the content of English language arts, mathematics, visual efficiency, components of the expanded core curriculum, and even games.  It is preloaded with a total of 65 activities that range from easy to complex. 

Surprise #3

Olivia has never watched television. For a 6 year old, we know that is something unusual.  Typical television that is geared toward young children is much too complex for her.  She is unable to process these shows.  The LightAide captured her attention and encouraged her to participate.  I can't explain how huge this is for her.  She can now enjoy a type of technology built with her in mind.  I am so grateful to the developers of the LightAide that have the goal to advance our special children. 

Surprise #3...the big one

Olivia has never truly had a toy that she has been attracted to enough to remember to play with.  When she came home from school the other day, the first thing that she did was run to the LightAide that is set up on our dining room table.    Olivia remembered?  Cognitively, this modality had such an impact on her that she remembered.  Wow, I have no words.  I possibly just witnessed a miracle!

In summary, Lily is simply described as a motivator.  We all need motivation in areas of our lives, whether it is to advance at work or to lead a healthy lifestyle.   The LightAide is an educational tool designed with Olivia and other children with CVI in mind to engage her to learn and advance her to the next level.  The attached video is only 6 minutes, but was actually a span of more than an hour.  We where able to capture her reaction and witnessed her being completely engaged.  In the video I have highlighted clips from the areas she really enjoyed and excelled at.  Other areas, like numbers and letters, she struggled with on her first day.  I am hoping to show some improvement with utilizing Lily these next 2 weeks.  It’s also important to understand that these clips were from the very first time we used the LightAide.  Her animated reactions melted my heart.  What an amazing friendship her and Lily have already made.

 

Thank you Philips, Perkins Products and Wonder Baby for allowing Lily come to our house to play.  I'm sure her time with us will be well spent.

For more information on the LightAide Backpacking program, please visit: http://www.wonderbaby.org/articles/backpacking-lightaide-program

For more information on the LightAide, please visit: http://www.perkins.org/store/lightaide/

…our adventure continues

Olivia’s mom